The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-01-26

II OLCu liz lIICdC L . VA hiS'
opens it to the air, and the oxygen
thus admitted speedily causes fer
mentation and souring.
C~ORNsTALKs DRYING OUT.
It is always advisable to feed corn
stalks in the early part of the Win
ter, reserving hay till near the
Spring. Repeated freezing and thaw-
ing dry out the sap, and with this
destroy much of their value for feed
ing. The exception to this is where
the stalks are finely cut early in the
season and left in large heaps. Some
fermentation, such as would occur
in a silo we'll weighted down, is no
disadvantage, but rather a benefit,
as it keeps the stalks moist and pal
atable.
O MANY HORSES
One of the evils on relying on old,
WORKOUT horses to do the farm work
is that the fal m4r who does so is
sure to be o~verstOcked. The ext
gencies of Summer labor require eX-
ira team help, and now the stables
are filled with horses, eating their
heads off with little or nothing to do.
1t is true these superannuated ami
mails, if mares, are apt to be set to
breeding, but there is little profit in
this unless the dam is of good stock
and not defective in any way likely
to %injure her progeny.
PIGS sTUNTED IN WINTER.
Late Fall pigs are hard to keep in
good growing condition through
cold weather. They need some corn
to keep them warm, but their digest
i've organs are not yet strong enough
to bear as heavy feeding as may be
needed for this purpose. If stunted
now, half the summer will be wasted
in getting them fairly to growing
again. One of the chief troubles
with pig raising in Winter is. the
scarcity of milk. This can be partly
remedied by feeding wheat midlings
and oatmeal.
POTATOES AFTER CORN.
1t is common where potatoes are
grown in large quantities to plant
them on newly turned sod. But if
this be clover, and heavily MANFRED,
it is apt to make the potatoes scabby
OF rotten or both. If the fresh
manure on sod is used the first sea-
son for growing corn, the grain crop
will benefit mor from both than
potatoes could do, and both will be
in excellent condition for growing
a superior quality of tubcrS. If more
green n is needed, it can be
had by sowing rye among the corn
just before harvesting it.
MANURES FOR THE GARDEN.
Farmers gardens are generally
tertilized more heavily than any
other part of the farm; but almost
always with stable or barn ward
manure. This us it runs is not
a complete fertilizer, and it's weak
point is generally a deficiency of
phosphoric acid, and on sandy soils
potash. Market gardeners, who use
heavier dressings Of anu than
farmers would think of applying,
find it profitable to change OCCASION
ally, applying perhaps in n year
ten to twelve hundred weight of
phosphate of lime to a single crop.
The alienation of manures is found
to be quite as important a rotation
of crops, which is found SO essential
in farm practice.
CUTTING ROOTS FOR STOCK.
TO cut roots for stock conven-
iently a machine for the purpose,
which slices them. is much the best.
They can be cut by chopping with a
spade or shovel; but this is slow
work, and there is liability ofmaking
square chunks, which COWS in their
greediness may attempt to swallow
without chewing and thus choke
themselves. Only ruminant animals
+ liable to choke with roots, as all
others r obliged to chew before
swallowing their food. Turnips for
sheep are not CUT at all in England,
the common practice being to turn
the sheep in the field and allow them
to harvest it. They will gnaw out
the interior of larsaturnip, leaving
only the pungent outside shell.
PRUNING THE GRAPE VINE.
Any open weather in Winter when
wopk ..D ha dana comfnrta